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When we visited Santa Clara la Laguna, we were fortunate to talk with Clara To Caniz. It was a joy to see her happy and well.
She entered the scholarship program in 2000 as a very discouraged young woman. Her mother had died and her father remarried. Her stepmother did not support her studying. She was expected to devote herself to household tasks. She felt very vulnerable and alone. She was ready to give up her studies as she was without support.
She often arrived at our monthly meetings on the edge of tears, but gradually her outlook changed. With the scholarship, she was able to live away from home. Before the scholarship, she often did not have the money to buy the materials for class assignments. Now she did. She felt the support of her fellow Kateri scholars.
When she finished high school teacher training, there were no jobs. She needed to support herself. The Kateri Fund was able to include her in the Intern Program to tutor children in her community who were not able to attend school because of lack of funds. This led to a job with "Vivamos Mejor", an institution in her community, as an after school tutor. She now has a position in an elementary school in a nearby village and is in her last year of study at the university.
She was vivacious, happy, and joyful as she talked in the rain. She, with great emotion, expressed her wish to educate the next generation so that Guatemala will become a better place. It is impossible to express in words the impression she made. Confident and centered--ready for the future. | 
